Let It Be (REVIEW): Beatlemania Hits The West End

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr - The Beatles are back.

A voiceover from Tony Blackburn introduces the band to the stage at London's Prince of Wales Theatre, as they reenact their Royal Variety Performance show of 1963.

Sadly the chance of a real reunion of The Beatles is gone forever - the West End Show Let It Be has placed four performers into a spotlight of nostalgia, taking theatre-goers on a journey from the group's humble beginnings in Liverpool's Cavern Club, to their world-dominating success.

Let It Be, named after The Beatles' final studio album, is a musical love letter to the band's songs and era: over 20 of their greatest hits, including Twist and Shout, All My Lovin' and Hey Jude.

Describing itself as 'spectacular theatrical concert', it is hard to find the theatrical element to this straightforward stream of performed songs.

With success stories We Will Rock You and Mammia Mia, surely The Beatles' legacy offers rich fruit for an imaginative playwright? A 1970s stage show was more ambitious: John Paul George Ringo … & Bert, however, creative differences led to its demise, as George Harrison eventually withdrew copyright permission.

Theatre aside, Let It Be is a concert fit for the most hardcore of Beatles fans - those who are seeking the consolation thrill of an authentic tribute performance. Journeying through the ages, we see a head-bopping, suit-wearing Beatles perform Love Me Do and Please Please Me, to the psychedelic military uniforms of Sgt. Pepper and beyond.

Scenic Designer Tim McQuillen-Wright makes good use of screens either side of the stage, showing lovingly edited montages of the Beatles' era: sex, drugs, hippies and animations in the style of the Yellow Submarine film.

Despite note-perfect renditions of the band's early hits, the conservative audience at the opening show prove a tough crowd. "Sing along!" chirps Paul McCartney (Emanuele Angeletti) as he strums the first chords of Yesterday - instead he sings the entire song alone, rather fitting for Yesterday's lamentful lyrics of isolation.

Reuven Gershon in Let It Be.

It is Stephen Hill as George Harrison who cracks the audience's frostiness with a spellbinding performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, giving rise to the first cheers of the night.

Stephen Hill in the West End production of Let It Be.

After this, the crowd participation having stepped up a level, the performers seem to embody their characters properly for the first time - all it takes is a little superstar treatment to channel The Beatles.

The Beatles arrive at London Airport: (l-r) Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

The Beatles jump to it on stage, left to right, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

The Beatles, pictured at EMI House Manchester Square, London, with a hoard of silver discs. They were presented with two silver LPs to mark the quarter-million plus sales of their first LP "Please Please Me" and their new one "With the Beatles" as well as for their "Twist & Shout" EP and "She Loves You". Left to right: Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

Susan Maughan gets a lift from Billy J Kramer (l) and the Beatles (l-r: John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.) All three acts were recipients of awards presented to them by Melody Maker magazine following a national poll - the Beatles scooped the 'Top Vocal Group' gong while Kramer was voted '1964 Hope' and Maughan received the 'Top Female Singer' award

The Beatles, wearing cape-type coats, on the steps of the plane on arrival at London Airport from their Australian tour. At a Press Conference at the airport Lennon denied a rumour that he was leaving the group.

15 year old Michael Lowbey, of Sidcup, Kent, gives his own impromptu concert outside the Odean, Lewisham, where thousands of teenagers wait for the box office to open so they can buy tickets to the forthcoming Beatles concert.

Joseph's coat of many colours was all right for biblical times, but in these stringent times, only a Rolls Royce will do for the allegorical value. Where Rolls Royce - who have consistently turned out the most endearing vehicles - it may seem pretty much of a fruit to see one of their products painted up as a sort of Regency on wheels, but when you are John Lennon of the Beatles, you can afford just about anything. John, the hoarse-voiced member of the quartet with all the experience of the flattened third decided to have his Rolls painted in a wild pattern of flowers and whirling lines on a yellow gold base. The ornamental vehicle is seen in a Surrey yard.

The Beatles jump on stage, left to right, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison.

The Beatles, (from left to right) Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison at the premiere of their film A Hard Day's Night

FILE - In this undated file photograph British pop band The Beatles, John Lennon (left) Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison (right) pose for a photograph. Apple Inc. said Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010, its iTunes service will sell music from the Fab Four. The Beatles have so far been the most prominent holdout from iTunes and other online music services. (AP Photo/file)

The Beatles, left to right, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and their manager Brian Epstein meet Princess Margaret at the premier of their film Help at the London Pavilion, July 1965.

This February 11, 1964 photo provided by Christie's auction house, from a collection of photos of The Beatles shot by photographer Mike Mitchell at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C., shows George Harrison during the group's first US concert, two days after their Ed Sullivan appearance. The concert photos, taken when the photographer was just 18 years old, will be auctioned by Christie's in their sale "The Beatles Illuminated: The Discovered Works of Mike Mitchell," in New York on July 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Christie's, Mike Mitchell)

The Beatles - left to right Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Paul McCartney at Rediffusion's Wembley Studio rehearsing for 'Around the Beatles', the first British television show built around the group.

The Beatles during rehearsals for the 1963 Royal Variety Performance, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. L-R: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr. * 12/11/2000: The band will unleash an album widely expected to become one of the biggest sellers of all time. With 80 minutes of music on it, the album, entitled 1, is the first collection of greatest hits they have released and comes three decades after the band split. * 10/11/2001: Music fans were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Beatlemania with a night of Merseybeat sounds. Sam Leach, the promoter who organised Beatles gigs at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, claims the concerts were the band's first experience of the mass hysteria which came to mark their every public appearance. The first Tower Ballroom gig, which took place on November 10, 1961, attracted a crowd of 4,100 - one of the largest ever audiences for a British Beatles concert.

PA NEWS PHOTO 7/12/63 GEORGE HARRISON OF "THE BEATLES" DURING REHEARSALS IN LIVERPOOL. * 30/11/01 It has been announced that, George Harrison, the Beatles' quiet lead guitarist and spiritual explorer has died, a longtime family friend told The Associated Press. Harrison, who wrote While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Here Comes the Sun, was 58.

Embargoed to 0001 Monday June 4. File photo dated 25/06/1967 of (left to right) George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney (front) and John Lennon as the Beatles have held off artist such as Elvis Presley and Madonna to be declared the biggest selling singles act since charts began 60 years ago.

NOTE BLACK AND WHITE ONLY File photo dated 03/05/1965 of (left to right) John Lennon, Ringo Star, Paul McCartney and George Harrison as the Beatles have held off artist such as Elvis Presley and Madonna to be declared the biggest selling singles act since charts began 60 years ago.

Wax figures representing The Beatles, from left, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon are unveiled at Madame Tussauds New York, Thursday June 14, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 1964 file photo, the Beatles arrive in New York for their first U.S. appearances. From left are: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. McCartney turned 70 Monday June 18, 2012. (AP Photo/File)

A wax figure representing The Beatles' John Lennon is unveiled at Madame Tussauds New York, Thursday June 14, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

School children pose with wax figures representing The Beatles, from left, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon are unveiled at Madame Tussauds New York, Thursday June 14, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 1964. file photo Paul McCartney, right, shows his bass guitar to Ed Sullivan before the Beatles' live television appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in New York along with John Lennon, center, and Ringo Starr, behind McCartney, and Beatles manage Brian Epstein, behind Sullivan. McCartney turned 70 Monday June 18, 2012. (AP Photo)

FILE In this file photo of June 18, 1968 Victor Spinetti talks with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in London. Victor Spinetti, a comic actor who appeared in three Beatles movies and won a Tony on Broadway, has died, his agent said Tuesday June 19, 2012. He was 82. Spinetti died Tuesday morning June 19, 2012 after suffering from cancer for several years, said Barry Burnett, the actor's close friend and agent. Spinetti won a Tony award in 1965 for his Broadway performance in "Oh, What a Lovely War," but became most well-known for his appearances in the Beatles movies "A Hard Day's Night," ''Help," and "Magical Mystery Tour." (AP Photo/ PA Wire)

FILE - The Beatles perform at the "Ed Sullivan Show," in New York in this Feb. 9, 1964 file photo. Universal Music Group can buy the famed British music company EMI, including the hugely lucrative Beatles catalogue, the European Union's competition regulator said Friday Sept 21 2012, but must jettison some of the famed labels other big acts, including Coldplay and Pink Floyd. (AP Photo)

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 1964 file photo, The Beatles perform on the CBS "Ed Sullivan Show" in New York. Ringo Starr plays drums, rear, and playing guitars from left are Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon. An estimated 73 million Americans tuned in, the largest ever for a TV show at the time, or three times the amount of people who watched the latest "American Idol" finale, according to the Nielsen Co. (AP Photo/Dan Grossi/ file)

FILE - In this June 30, 1966 file photo, the Beatles perform at Budokan Hall in Tokyo for the first time. From left: George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo Starr. McCartney turned 70 years of age Monday June 18, 2012. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - The Beatles perform at the "Ed Sullivan Show," in New York in this Feb. 9, 1964 file photo. Universal Music Group can buy the famed British music company EMI, including the hugely lucrative Beatles catalogue, the European Union's competition regulator said Friday Sept 21 2012, but must jettison some of the famed labels other big acts, including Coldplay and Pink Floyd. (AP Photo)

1963: Pop group The Beatles take a bow on stage after performing in the Royal Command Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

The Beatles on stage at the London Palladium during a performance in front of 2, 000 screaming fans. (Photo by Michael Webb/Getty Images)

18th January 1964: The British pop band The Beatles, left to right, John Lennon (1940 - 1980), Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison (1943 - 2001), after their Paris show, with their co-star the French singer Sylvie Vartan. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

The Beatles, performing on the Ed Sullivan Show, New York City, 9th February 1964. Left to right: Paul McCartney, George Harrison (1943 - 2001), John Lennon (1940 - 1980) and Ringo Starr. (Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images)

13th February 1964: The Beatles soon after their arrival in Washington, USA, playing in the snow outside the Coliseum where they were scheduled to perform before a sell-out audience. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

19th March 1964, A picture of British pop group the Beatles when they met the British Prime Minister Mr Harold Wilson when he presented them all with silver heart awards which were for show business personalities, (Left to right) John Lennon, Harold Wilson, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (Photo by Bentley Archive/Popperfoto/Getty Images)

Ringo Starr at the drums during a rehearsal for the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, New York City, 8th February 1964. (Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images)

25th November 1963: Liverpudlian beat combo The Beatles, from left to right Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon (1940 - 1980), and George Harrison (1943 - 2001), performing in front of a camera-shaped drum kit on Granada TV's Late Scene Extra television show filmed in Manchester, England on November 25, 1963. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Beatles rehearse for that night's Royal Variety Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre, 4th November 1963. The Queen Mother will attend. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Beatles in performance at a night spot, April 1963. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

3rd December 1963: Guitarist and singer George Harrison (1943 - 2001) of the popular Merseybeat group The Beatles, performing during a live concert. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

1963: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr of The Beatles performing during an early television performance on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' on February 17th 1963. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

3rd December 1963: Top British pop group The Beatles in performance, from left to right; Ringo Starr, George Harrison (1943 - 2001), Paul McCartney and John Lennon (1940 - 1980). (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

The Beatles 1964 US Tour, American music fans are gripped by Beatlemania as the band perform on stage at Carnegie Hall, New York during their tour of America (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

Bassist Paul McCartney and guitarist George Harrison (1943 - 2001) sing at a microphone as the Beatles perform at the London Palladium. Drummer Ringo Starr plays from a riser in the background. London, England, January 1964. (Photo by Leslie Lee/Express Newspapers/Getty Images)

The Beatles dress up for the Beatles Christmas Show, at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London, New Years Eve, 31st December 1963. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

11th December 1963: The Beatles pictured during their appearance on the music panel show, Juke Box Jury; pictured left to right are: John Lennon (1940 -1980), Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison (1943 - 2001). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Pop group The Beatles, left to right Ringo Starr on drums, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon on electric guitars, performing in a large dance hall during a Royal Variety performance in London, England on December 3, 1963. (Photo by Daily Express/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

The Beatles in concert at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, 3rd December 1963. (Photo by Les Lee/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)